


Working Knights

by PrinxOfTheFlamingHeart



Category: The Two Princes (Podcast)
Genre: F/F, M/M, Secondary M/M oc romance, Secondary RuMir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-02 11:17:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19440364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinxOfTheFlamingHeart/pseuds/PrinxOfTheFlamingHeart
Summary: Sir Joan, first female Knight Captain, Queens’ Champion, and leader of the Lady Knight Corps, was deathly afraid of only two things in the world. Lady Cecily, and possibly hurting her.





	1. Knight and Day

**Author's Note:**

> Big shout out to Cecily-Said-Gay-Rights and Porridge-ADragon on tumblr who both inspired this foray into Jecily.

As she rested from sparring practice in the royal gardens, Cecily reflected on what brought her to Heartland Castle. She’d been a pretty permanent fixture, although it seemed everyone was worried about her still having feelings for Prince Rupert. But it wasn’t him that drew here to the center of the newly united country. 

She glanced over at Joan, the stable-girl with a deep tan and burly arms who’d proven her mettle and become Queens’ Champion. With the retirement of Sir Percy, she’d taken on another title, Knight Captain. The weight of both chivalrous orders fell on her as the Eastern Captain and forty-nine of his men still hadn’t been found after deserting the Phoenix. The process of making her selections to reestablish the new combined orders of chivalry took up so much of her time, along with ensuring the safety of four headstrong royals. 

Not for the first time, Cecily thought about how much time she took from Joan with these personal lessons. 

“Like, just a year ago and I would have totally been destroyed that Rupie was marrying anyone else, let alone some hot prince from the East,” Lady Cecily said with a sigh. 

The sentiment wasn’t one Joan could say she understood, but she’d certainly heard it a lot in the last few days. “He’s just a man. Hardly more than a boy when you look at him. I remember telling him off so many times for hiding in the stables. One time he was desperately trying to unfasten these ridiculous pair of wings...”

Cecily beamed. “I love it when you talk like that, B-T-dubs.”

Sometimes Lady Cecily really had her own language. Joan shook her head. “Like what? About the prince?”

Cecily laughed, a really quite infectious giggle. Joan couldn’t help but smile, even though she didn’t really know what was funny. 

“No, silly! When you talk about a happy memory. Like, you practically glow and you have this totally killer smile. Any Knight would be absolutely lucky to be with you.” Cecily looked down at her hands, her longer hair covering her face. 

They sat in silence for a while. Joan glanced around the royal garden and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’ve checked out plenty of Knights, and I gotta say, they don’t do much for me.”

Cecily looked up, her face suddenly bright as the sun. “Yeah well like obvs, ever since Sir Percy retired in like total disgrace, it would take a very brave knight to try anything. I like didn’t want to say anything but sometimes you come off as like a little...”

“Intimidating? Yet a man with the same attitude would be considered ‘commanding respect.’” Joan said, punching her palm with her fist. 

Cecily scoffed and leaned closer. “No, I was gonna say uninterested. You’re really really absorbed in your job. I kinda admire that about you. And, like, I wanted to say thank you for helping me with these lessons.” Cecily turned to her shoulder bag and rummaged through. Turning back, she produced a handkerchief with a rose in full bloom embroidered in. 

Joan examined the item in Cecily’s delicate hands. “Lady Cecily, you didn’t have to...”

“Like, hush, I have something I need to say.” Clearing her throat, Cecily shifted a little before handing the handkerchief to Joan. “Sir Joan, in Western tradition, a lady would bestow a token of her favor upon a Knight who was like, totally awesome. Or something like that. I don’t know, I heard it from Queen Lavinia and she’s got all these like really strange ideas that honestly I’ve literally never heard of.”

“Your...favor?” Joan asked, holding the handkerchief as if she were afraid it would fall apart in her rough hands. 

“Sir Joan, are you here?” Prince Rupert called before coming around the corner and spotting the pair. His eyes fell on the handkerchief and Joan tucked it away in her gambeson. 

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt...” He started to say. 

“What do you need, Your Highness?” Joan asked, her cheeks a bit more red than before. She stood and removed her gauntlets. Cecily looked away, pretending she wasn’t watching her old crush. 

“Amir decided to tell me at the last minute that there’s a tradition among the Easterners that two spouses aren’t allowed to see each other a week before the wedding.” Rupert suddenly stopped, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. 

“I’m sorry?” Joan offered, eyebrow raised. She clapped a big hand on his shoulder. “How can I help, though?”

Rupert suddenly flushed, his hands waving in front of his face for a moment. “Oh, right, well. I know you’re a very busy woman but I was wondering...”

Joan rolled her eyes. “You know you’re one of two future kings, right? You can order me to handle whatever it is you want.” She punctuated the silence with a small shrug. “Of course, I can tell you to stuff it if it’s a bad idea, but my job kinda depends on your faith in me.”

Rupert folded his arms and huffed. “I don’t want to order you as your king to do me a favor. I want to ask you as a friend.”

“You still haven’t asked me, though,” Joan reminded him. 

Rupert’s eyes widened and he smacked his forehead. “Yeah, right! Would you help me with this sword dance from the eastern kingdom? I know you’ve been studying their techniques and even taking instruction from some of the more open minded eastern knights.”

“Why not just ask one of those open minded Eastern knights to teach you?” Joan felt a muscle in her neck throb. She started to stretch it out. As she did, Rupert just managed to notice Lady Cecily watching Joan intently. 

“Uh, I’m afraid they’ll tell Amir and ruin the surprise.” He started looking between Lady Cecily and Joan, his expression drawn together. 

Joan moved onto stretching her lower back. As Joan bent over suddenly, Rupert caught sight of Cecily and followed her eyeline. He blushed bright red. Joan stood up and reached high, going up on the balls of her feet. “Fine, two conditions. One, you’ll be taking lessons with Cecily and me. I don’t have enough hours in the day to tutor you separately. We’ll both keep this a secret, right Cecily?”

Cecily snapped out her trance, her eyes flicking up from Joan’s slightly exposed waistline. Her eyebrows shot up quicker than lighting. “Uh, yeah! Like, of course, this is too cute, though! I don’t wanna ruin it. Also I really need to practice my footwork and those Eastern sword dances are like absolutely killer cardio.”

“Agreed. Your second condition?” Rupert asked, raising a brow at Cecily. The young lady blushed and looked away again. 

Joan looked back at the young lady and smiled. “Cecily, I’ll be just a minute.” Lady Cecily nodded as Joan led Rupert around to talk more privately. 

Satisfied with the distance, Joan sighed. “I need you to talk to Zachary.”

Rupert groaned. Zachary was Sir Percy’s old squire. In spite of that, been a promising candidate. Zachary seemed to have mellowed out and matured. He’d certainly become more open minded than his former knight master. “Do I need to dismiss him from the Knight Corps? Because I will if you want me to.”

Joan waved her hands. “No, nothing that dramatic. He’s just...making another knight candidate uncomfortable.”

Rupert’s eyes narrowed. “Which lady knight is he stalking?” Rupert glanced back in the direction they came. “Not Cecily right? Because I will so...”

Joan shook her head. “Yeah, no. That’s the thing. It’s actually one of our Eastern knight candidates. One of our...males, Sir Anath.”

“Oh. Wonder what that’s about?” Rupert said as he tried to fit the pieces together. 

“I don’t know but I don’t like it. I have my suspicions. Anath has made no secret of his...romantic preferences,” Joan said stoically. 

“Oh, I see.” Rupert looked away. He wrung his hands for a moment before clenching his fists. “I’ll talk to Zachary. His sense of humor was always a bit crude. I’d hoped he’d really changed after Sir Percy retired without putting him through his trials.”

“At this rate, he won’t see those trials. It took a lot of humility for Anath to confide in me and I won’t fail him,” Joan said, striking her palm with the bottom of her fist. 

Rupert nodded. “I like Anath. The guy might think he is the answer to everything, but he’s hard working and doesn’t make trouble. Unlike a few other western knights I could mention, present company excluded, of course.” Knight and prince laughed together at that. 

Sighing Joan turned her head back towards Lady Cecily and didn’t catch sight of the plucky girl. “Right, well I know this is technically like your garden, but you did actually interrupt something so...” Joan made a shooing motion with both hands. 

“Right, sorry. I’ll handle Zach. And thanks again!” Rupert disappeared back into the garden


	2. You Are The One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cecily runs and hides, but Joan won’t just let her get away now. On the other side of the castle, trouble brews when Rupert confronts Zachary, only for Anath to show up in the middle of it.

Sure enough, Cecily fled the garden. She couldn’t even decide why, only that her mind screamed at her to run at the first opportunity. Perhaps it was that Joan hadn’t simply asked if Rupert could’ve waited until later. But her logical part knew that Joan would, to an extent, prioritize her job first. Being faced with that reality, especially when that job included Rupert, fanned the flames of jealousy. If only she hadn’t given her that handkerchief. 

It was a stupid idea from a stupid girl and it was too stupidly personal, Cecily reasoned. Not to mention that moronic little speech about knights and favors and...

Cecily rounded a corner, glad to see it empty as she felt her world crashing around her. If only it hadn’t been so perfect! She’d even finally gotten Joan alone and in a good mood. And, after dealing with bickering little boys and girls who wanted to be knights all day, that wasn’t easy. Was it her obsession again? Ever since realizing how far she’d gone to prove her love to Rupert, that deep well of emotions had dried up. 

Unfortunately, the insecurities that dug that well in the first place were still around. 

As she turned another corner she was glad to have found a part of the castle that no one seemed to be in. The sounds of construction weren’t close, no voices, no footsteps. She slowed her pace and started looking for an unused room. She could feel her heat beating like a caged animal in her chest. 

Maybe she could play it off as a gift between friends. After all, she’d only called it a token of her favor, not of her desire to be held by those strong arms. Nor of her shameful wish that Joan would cover Cecily’s lips with her own. Joan wouldn’t know that. She couldn’t. 

And if she did, who’s to say she would even feel the same way? Joan loved being a knight. Didn’t some people just become married to their jobs? 

Cecily finally stopped and by chance found herself at the doorway of the castle library. Or rather, where it would be once they moved more books in. Slipping inside, Cecily sank into an armchair and covered her face with her hands. No one would think to look for silly, stupid Cecily in a library. She hadn’t even known the first thing about books before. 

Cecily shuddered and felt the hot well of tears threatening to flow. She cursed her luck for forgetting to grab her bag from before. There were two other handkerchiefs in there with different flowers in case Koan hadn’t liked the first one. She resorted to using the sleeve on her training shirt. It was an old blouse anyway. 

To really cap it all off, Cecily’s mind got right down to what bothered her the most. Joan casually inserting Rupert into their private lessons. If Joan knew or suspected Cecily’s feelings, it couldn’t have been a more clear rejection unless she’d outright replaced Cecily’s lessons for Rupert’s. Joan couldn’t feel the same way, right?

It was just her cursed luck that she let out a sob, louder than even she was prepared for. Even the thought of being disappointed in love, unrequited, made her cry out. 

The door behind her opened, and a low woman’s voice called out. “Lady Cecily?”

***

Across the castle grounds, Rupert found Zachary in the armory. Zach looked up as the door opened. He shot up out of his chair at the sight of his prince, and Rupert caught his eyes darting around the room. The search was futile, Rupert realized he was at the only exit. 

“Zachary, I need to speak with you,” Rupert said firmly.

Zachary’s eyes flickered to his face, then looked down. The young man’s posture was rigid. “Yes, Your Highness? Have I displeased you?”

“I’ve actually been really pleased with everything I’ve heard about you. Until today. Do you want to tell me about Anath?”

Zachary’s eyes shot wide open. After avoiding eye contact, his gaze was now locked on Rupert. His green eyes seemed intent on absorbing every little motion. Rupert resisted the urge to squirm under that gaze. If Anath got even a tenth of this intensity from Zachary, Rupert understood why it would unnerve him. 

Zachary sat down, his legs seemingly unable to hold up his large frame. The change only really put him at a head shorter than Rupert, but the body language he displayed made him appear to be much shorter. 

“Does he sicken you that much?” Rupert asked, shaking his head. “Do I?”

Zachary’s head snapped up. “No! Neither of you. It’s not...that.”

Rupert gestured widely. “Then what is it?”

Zachary looked back at the table. Heaving a sigh, he sheathed the sword he’d been working on and set it aside. “I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry,” Rupert said, folding his arms across his chest, “I can’t accept that answer.”

Zachary shrugged. “I don’t know what answer to give.”

“Give me the truth,” Rupert ordered. 

Zachary flexed his fingers and looked away. “The truth is I’m not the knight Sir Percy wanted me to be.”

At the mention of the former Knight Captain, Rupert clenched his fists. Taking a step farther into the room, he pointed a finger at Zachary. “Then be the knight your kingdom needs. Sir Percy had his good points. I can admit that, even if he didn’t like me. He also turned his back...”

Zachary slammed his palm onto the table. “I know what he did! And I’m ashamed I went along with it! The western knights forgot their duty.”

Rupert took a deep breath and unclenched his fist. “No, well yes, but I don’t blame you. You were a young squire looking to please his knight so you could attain a knighthood of your own. But that old system was flawed.”

“It was tradition. It was how a boy became a man,” Zachary said. 

“And I think we’re seeing the result of it. A person needs to be around other people, especially of their own age.” Rupert came around the table and inspected the equipment racks. “The squire system left no space for socializing.”

Zachary sighed. “Not everyone can attend parties all the time, sir.”

Rupert hefted a sword and examined its edge. “Not everyone becomes a man by cutting off pieces of their personality, Zach. I think I became one when I accepted all of myself.”

“What if you can’t accept yourself?” Zach asked. 

“You start accepting others,” Rupert said, replacing the sword. 

“Speaking of...need something from the armory, lads?” Zachary asked. 

Rupert turned around. Three eastern candidates, including Anath stood as if frozen. Anath was half-in and half-out, hand still on the doorknob. 

Anath went to one knee, his buddies followed suit a second later. “Forgive us, Your Highness, we didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

***

Furiously, Cecily struggled to control her breathing and wipe her face. She almost looked presentable; she hardly wore makeup to Joan’s training sessions anymore. What she wouldn’t have given in that moment for even a hand mirror. 

“Cecily, are you crying?” Joan asked as she rounded the armchair to face her. 

“Uh, no. No, nuh-uh, I’m fine. Like, totally nothing to worry about, sir.” Cecily couldn’t meet the gaze of the taller woman and so looked down at her hands. Her nails were neat and polished with her favorite shade of pink. A small bit had fallen off near one side of her right index fingernail. She covered the flaw with her other hand. 

Joan retrieved the token of Cecily’s favor from her gambeson and waved it a little. “Can we get back to this?”

Cecily gulped audibly. “Okay, so like, yeah. Uh, maybe favor was too strong a word, right? I mean like, you should absolutely be someone’s favorite. And like, that doesn’t have to mean anything weird. It could be like friends but maybe a little more friendly!”

“Really?” Cecily gazed up at the tone of the word. Joan looked away, her face closed off. More than that, she was frowning. 

She set her shaking hands down on her knees. The silence that fell between them was horrible and awkward and worse than saying nothing or even something stupid. Cecily screwed her courage to the sticking place. “No, I think I like you. Like, ‘like-like’ you? If that’s okay?”

Cecily’s breath hitched as Joan turned her brown eyes on her. Joan’s eyes were wide, her ample lips slightly parted. Cecily flapped her hands a bit to try and shake away the shaking, then just started gesturing as she spoke. “I mean, it doesn’t feel like that obsession I had with Prince Rupert.”

Joan blinked several times, but her lower lip and rubbed her chin with one hand. “What?”

Cecily stood up and paced in front of the armchair. “I think it might’ve started when we crashed the Phoenix and you gave that freaking amazing speech. I started to think that maybe Rupert really wasn’t my type but I was like still kinda set on being a princess.” 

Joan reached out, but Cecily stopped just beyond her grasp. When she turned around, Joan pulled her arm back in. “But then of course it turns out he’s in love with Prince Amir and I felt so sad for like the longest time. But then I realized it wasn’t because I was sad that Rupert didn’t like girls but that maybe I do. But maybe I like more than just girls and that felt really confusing because you’re not a boy, no matter what some of the totally not cool old ladies say.”

“Yeah, the men...wait. The old ladies are talking about me?” Joan asked.

Cecily shook her head and tried to steady her hands at her sides. “You’re an amazing woman. I know that. And I like you. And this time it’s better but it’s also worse because I’m not sure how I’d even handle it if you said...”

Joan reached out again and took hold of Cecily’s trembling hands. Turning them over in her own, she caressed the smooth palms with her calloused thumbs. “I’ve never thought about boys or girls like that, Cecily. I was always focused on training and keeping my father off my back long enough to learn.”

Cecily’s eyes misted over. “Oh,” she said softly. “Well, like I totally understand.” She started to pull away. 

Joan held on to Cecily’s hands. “Hold on,” Joan added. “Not done yet. I really haven’t thought about this but I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”

“Really?” Cecily hated the sound of her own words in her ears. Had she really said ‘really’ like she was some poor soul being thrown the slimmest of lifelines? Did she dare even hope? 

Joan let go and ruffled her own hair with her hands. “At first it was just, what can I do to teach you better? Then it was about how I admired that you didn’t give up when you were afraid.” Joan paced a bit and rubbed her face. 

When she looked back at Cecily, Joan’s hands were shaking just as hers had. “And then it was your eyes. How they look when you’re figuring something out. The way you scrunch your nose when you can’t think of the answer right away.”

Cecily stood up and took hold of Joan’s hands once again. For a moment they stood holding hands, both looking down at where Joan’s tan digits interlaced with Cecily’s fair fingers. “I’ve never had anyone who thought of me as more than a stable girl.”

Cecily laughed and the sound made Joan look up into Cecily’s brilliant blue eyes. “Sorry, I’ve never had anyone who thought of me as like, more than an unstable girl.”

Joan shook her head and laughed. “Let me test my knowledge. If you like, like-like me...” Joan let go of her hands and trailed her fingers up Cecily’s arms to her shoulders. Cecily shivered. 

“Yes?” Cecily asked quietly. 

“Then if I like-like you...” Joan continued as she took one hand up Cecily’s neck and rested it on the side of her face. 

Cecily leaned into the caress. Catching herself, she gently took hold of Joan’s hand. “That’s a big ‘if,’ isn’t it? I mean, I’m just silly Cecily, so who even knows? Maybe you don’t like me but just don’t want me to cry.”

Joan took Cecily’s chin under her curled finger and lifted it until she could look into her eyes. “Cecily, please look at me.”

“Why?” Cecily asked.

Joan persisted. “Because your eyes don’t lie. Do you want to know what I see in them?”

Cecily looked into Joan’s eyes. “What? Oh god, it’s not like something on my face, right?”

Joan looked close to laughing, but instead cleared her throat. “No, hush, you look beautiful.”

Cecily smiled, but shook her head. “Nuh-uh, you look totally beautiful and perfect and strong and like you could have anyone. Or like, just about anyone. Why weak, stupid me?”

Joan set her hands on Cecily’s shoulders. “You’re not weak. And anyone who thinks you’re stupid is missing something so obviously in front of their faces. You might not be much into books or numbers, but you notice things. That’s what I see in your eyes; the smart, good woman inside. You are strong enough to go chase your goals. You’re good enough to find new ones when one doesn’t work. But you had dreams, right? You wanted a future with a man? Like Rupert?”

Cecily shrugged. “Yeah, like before. But I wasn’t even the littlest bit interest in dragons or wagons or whatever Rupert was into. I wanted to be a princess.” The admission really stung. It didn’t paint her in a good light, she felt. “I knew I’d have to like, have his heir. But it all seemed so fab, so glam! Queen Lavinia was always throwing parties and wearing pretty dresses and everyone like totally adored her. I wanted that. I wanted people to think I was awesome.”

“I think you’re awesome,” Joan said. 

Cecily smiled. “Thanks, there’s that at least. Is that all you think about me?”

Joan let her go and scratched her head. “I think I can’t give you what a man can, and if you want those things you’d be better off not getting tangled up with me. Besides I already have a reputation, and even with two Princes in love with each other it’ll be a long time before Westerners will really accept two women in love. Especially if one of those women is also a knight. People will talk, Cecily, and even I can’t protect you from that.”

“Okay, well like not to sound like some sappy romance play, but! What does your heart say?” Cecily asked, leaning in close. 

Joan closed the distance between them and gently touched her lips to Cecily’s. “It’s saying let those people talk if it means I get to have you to myself.”

“And here I thought knights were like, selfless,” Cecily teased. 

Joan shrugged. “There’s time for both. I’ll be selfish when it comes to keeping you. But I’ll be selfless when it comes to showing you how I feel.”

“Can I, like, show you how I feel?” Cecily asked. 

Joan raised an eyebrow. “Sure?”

Cecily pulled on Joan’s gambeson to get her to lean closer and then took hold of the woman’s face. Closing her eyes, she locked her lips onto Joan’s. Joan wrapped her arms around Cecily’s shoulders and pulled her closer, closing the distance between them as she returned the kiss with equal passion. 

***

Rupert, to even his own surprise, took control of the situation. “Anath and Zachary, you will both accompany me to a more private setting.” With confidence, Rupert walked to the door. Anath and his fellow easterners backed out of the doorway. He heard Zachary’s heavy steps behind him. 

When he passed the trip and began his way down the hall, he heard muted whispering. Looking back, he saw the easterners arguing quietly. Zachary walked by them without even glancing at Anath. Anath shook his head and finally said something Rupert could hear. “He’s our prince, too.”

Rupert turned back to not catch Anath’s glance. He smiled, though and felt more certain he would handle things so Anath would be happy. He had work to do to deserve that kind of faith. Anath’s footsteps hurried to catch up and he walked beside Zachary after only a little glance in the bigger man’s direction. Zachary merely stared at the back of Rupert’s head. 

Rupert realized he was leading them toward the minor audience chamber and just went with it. The guard at the door opened it upon seeing Rupert striding forward confidently. “Let no one enter without knocking and announcing them...please.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” the guard answered as he saluted. Rupert returned the gesture and entered. 

“Oh hey, cool. They finished the thrones in here,” Rupert said, only catching his lapse in seriousness after the fact. “I mean, uh. Ahem.”

He took his place in front of the throne and faced the two knight candidates. Anath immediately knelt, Zachary did so after giving Anath a strange look. 

“I hate pulling rank on anyone, but I believe this situation warrants it.” Rupert surveyed his two troubled subjects. Anath kept his head down, but Zachary risked a glance upward before looking down again. “Anath, rise and tell me what Zachary has done to make you feel uncomfortable. Zachary, rise and remain silent until I address you.”

Zachary nodded his agreement. 

“Oh, this is what this is about? I thought Sir Joan would handle this differently.”

“Sir Joan knows I grew up with Zachary. His...mentor served my mother for many years. I insisted on handling this personally.” Technically, this was fudging it a little bit but Amir wasn’t here to split hairs. “If you would like, Zachary can stand outside while I hear your side.”

“No, Your Highness, I think he should hear what I have to say about him. Especially if he remains silent.” Anath clenched his hands into fists. 

Rupert nodded. “He will. Right, Zachary?”

“Ye—“ Zachary started, but then nodded his head. 

“Proceed, Anath,” Rupert ordered. 

“It sounds petty, but he’s always staring at me. Sometimes he looks angry enough to kill me and other times he just looks blank.” Anath took a moment to steady his breathing. “He is silent, or laughs along as his friends tell disparaging jokes about Sir Joan and the two princes. Several of his friends have been dropped as candidates because of this behavior. He has grown more sullen and intense as his friends are cut, as if he can’t see what they’re doing to morale amongst not only the combined male knights but amongst our sisters in arms as well. This affects his behavior. He is rough on sparring partners until Sir Joan steps in and knocks him down. He broke Anais’ nose in practice last week and only sullenly apologized when forced to. In short, he has no regard for his fellow knights.”

Rupert noted how Zachary seemed to have shrunk into himself with each accusation. “How do you answer these accusations, Zachary? Keep in mind I will be speaking to all of the candidates to discern the truth myself.”

“There is no need, Your Highness. I can see how my actions have caused rifts in the Corps.” He paused, taking a deep breath and then locking his gaze with Rupert’s. “I respectfully request that I be removed from consideration for knighthood.”

Rupert snorted. [i] And people call me dramatic[/i]. “Denied. Zachary, you would give up your dreams because you sabotaged yourself? What are you afraid of?”

Zachary’s temper seemed to flare again, his words almost shouted. “I didn’t sign up to be anyone’s friend. I’m here to defend my kingdom and people. If I have to be chummy to be a knight then I don’t want to and you can’t force me.” Impudently, Zachary turned to leave without dismissal.”

“Zachary. Stay,” Rupert ordered. 

Zachary kept walking. “I’m not Fitzroy, Rupert.”

Rupert raised a hand and two guards crossed spears to block Zachary’s way. “That’s Prince Rupert. God I don’t see how Amir does this. I am your prince and you will stay until you start telling me the truth.”

Zachary turned around. “That is the truth. Sir Percy chose me and raised me as his own and he was cast aside for the sin of not believing in his kingdom at its darkest hour. And in his place is a knighthood that I don’t recognize.”

Anath snapped. “You would truly not try your own way? Everything has to be Sir Percy this or Sir Percy that. Perhaps His Highness should reconsider and send you to your old master like the whipped dog you are.”

Zachary took a menacing step towards Anath. Rupert rushed between them and put his hand on Zachary’s chest. “Zachary! Stand down at once!”

He reined in his temper with a visible effort. “I respectfully decline, sir. This...man dares impugn my honor. I won’t sit by and take that kind of talk! Anath, I challenge...”

“Zachary, no!” Rupert cried. 

“I accept!” Anath said, his anger burning in his eyes. 

Pushing both men back was easier than expected, Rupert noticed. Then he realized the door guards had taken hold of an arm on each knight and pulled them back. “Fine, but no bloodshed. You will use wooden swords or the Heartland may see fit to turn you both into trees. And let me remind you how well that worked for the last two men to fight in this hollow,” Rupert stalked over to the door and led the way to the castle training grounds. On the way, the trio passed Prince Amir, who caught the expression on Rupert’s face and joined up with him. 

As they walked, Amir spoke to Rupert, quietly. Every so often he turned back to glare at Zachary and Anath in turn. 

The two princes retrieved wooden swords and presented them. Rupert handed Anath his sword and leaned in. “I expect you to act without anger. The moment Amir and I sense this going wrong you both will stop and we shall resume talking like sensible adults.”

Anath’s gaze was locked over Rupert’s shoulder. “As you command, my prince.”

Amir handed Zachary his sword and folded his arms. “This is stupid. You should apologize and explain how you feel.”

“Yeah, not good at that womanly stuff, my prince.” Zachary’s gaze never wavered from staring a hole into Anath. 

“Emotions don’t have a gender,” Amir replied. Zachary bowed and turned to face his foe. “If I even see so much as a root start to form, this ends.”

“As Your Highness commands,” Zachary said. 

The two combatants approached each other, saluted with their swords, and assumed their stances. Amir and Rupert moved to stand together on the sidelines. 

“Why did you agree to this?” Amir asked. 

“If I’m right? They’ll beat out some unresolved, repressed feelings,” Rupert said. 

“And if you’re wrong?” Amir asked. 

Rupert shrugged. “Did you see the four guards following us? This should be, at worst, a very painful sparring session.”

“At least they’re not going to war with each other.” Amir gave the signal for the combat to start. 

As the wooden swords clashed, Rupert noted the intensity. “Oh wow, are you sure about that? Because it looks a lot like Zachary would tear Anath apart.”

“Well, Anath isn’t pulling his blows either,” Amir remarked. 

Sir Joan pushed past the four guards and spoke to Rupert. He almost didn’t see Cecily trailing behind, their hands entwined. “What are they doing? I thought you said you would handle this?”

“I am handling this,” Rupert said as wooden sword his flesh. He winced, that blow to the shoulder looked painful. 

Sir Joan held her hands up in frustration. Cecily folded her arms as she looked at the combat with distaste. “By letting them, like, beat the tar out of each other?” She asked. 

Amir shrugged. “Sometimes you have to break a few eggs...” Anath landed a glancing blow to Zachary’s thigh. 

“More like break a few bones!” Joan exclaimed. 

Rupert glanced at her as the pair circled again, wood almost whistling through the air. “You fought Sir Percy. You know sometimes the only way to get through a thick skull is to beat it.”

“That bruise on Anath’s shoulder is going to hurt tomorrow,” One guard said. 

“Zachary is favoring his left leg,” Another pointed out. 

Rupert noticed something odd about Anath’s footwork. Almost like he was losing his balance. “He better take care not to...oh no! Anath!” The eastern knight’s foot stuck to the ground but his body twisted another way entirely. 

“Did he trip?” Joan asked. 

“Zachary, halt!” Amir called as Zachary dropped down over Anath. 

Rupert turned to the guards. “Stop him, he’s going to...”

Cecily tugged on Rupert’s shoulder and pointed to the pair. “Uh, tear his own shirt?”

Joan sighed in relief. “He’s tying up Anath’s ankle. I’ll go speak to the doctor, you go make sure nothing else is wrong.”

Cecily led the way as the two princes tore across the training field, flanked by the guards. They arrived to see both young men panting and arguing. Their tone alarmed both royals, but when they heard what was being said, they slowed down. 

“Just what were you playing at using that crack Eastern footwork?” Zachary asked. 

Anath replied with equal cattiness. “Trying to counter your stupid Western defense stance. If I’d gone for a jab with my off hand...”

“I’d have smacked your wrist like a naughty child with his hand in the cookie jar,” Zachary teased as Lady Cecily checked over Anath’s ankle. 

Anath looked horrified. “You cut off a child’s hand for dessert thievery?”

“No, that must be an eastern thing,” Zachary said, to an amused snort from Anath. 

“We’re not barbarians like you western thugs,” Anath replied. 

“This ‘western thug’ has her hands on your stupid Eastern ankle,” Cecily said, looking as though she would tighten the makeshift bandage. 

Anath’s eyes grew. “You wouldn’t!”

Rupert and Amir looked at each other as the guards looked anywhere but at the quarreling pair. “Is this what mother means about us?” Amir asked. 

“Oh like her and my mom are any better!” Rupert replied. 

With a wave from Cecily, Zachary helped Anath into a seated position. “What did you even trip over? The training field is flatter than the top of your head.”

“There’s a tree root! One of you westerners must’ve missed it when we cleared the field,” Anath accused. 

“Or one of your eastern slackers,” Zachary said. Cecily stood up and walked away, her gaze trained upon something back towards the castle. 

For a moment, both men just stopped and gazed into each other’s eyes. Their breathing slowed. Suddenly a very different kind of tension formed between them. Then Anath looked away. 

“I didn’t want to fight you, you know. I was just frustrated at your stubborn western pride,” Anath admitted. 

“I was frustrated by your silly Eastern casualty,” Zachary said. 

“Casualness,” Anath corrected, “but then again right now I’m feeling like a casualty.”

“Does it hurt very much?” Zachary asked with concern. 

“Only a lot.” Anath winced as he tried to move. 

“I’m sorry Anath, I’m just...” He looked around. The royal pair seemed to be looking for the root and the four other guards had left at some point. Lady Cecily waved at a figure headed back from the castle. “I’m jealous of you, I guess. You seem to live your life so openly.”

“And you can’t?” Anath asked. 

Zachary modded. “I spent years learning not to.”

“Our princes live their lives openly,” Anath said, gesturing at the pair holding hands as they searched. “And did you see Lady Cecily and Sir Joan holding hands? How are we any less deserving?”

Zachary couldn’t answer, although he seemed as if he were about to say something but it wouldn’t come out. Finally, he just sighed in frustration. “I’m sorry, Anath. I’m sorry about how I’ve treated you and the other easterners.”

“I’m sorry if I ever made you feel uncomfortable...” Anath started. 

“No, please don’t...”

“No, I should!” Anath said. “I knew westerners weren’t used to a man being so open about his preferences. I just can’t understand why you’d hate me.”

“I don’t hate you!” Zachary said, briefly getting the attention of those around. 

Anath gave him a flat look. “Could have fooled me.”

“I want...to be...like you,” Zachary said, the words seeming to cost him dearly. 

“What, amazing?” Anath joked, his eyes wide at the sight of his former enemy kneeling beside him. 

“No, well yes.” Zachary wavered, then cleared his throat. “But, I want to be more open.”

“Then let’s be friends,” Anath said, holding his hand out. 

“Friends?” Zachary asked, eyes gazing down. 

“What?” Anath asked, worried. 

“I’ve never been...open with my friends.”

“It’s easier than you think.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“If your friends can’t accept you as you are, then you need better friends.”

“It takes courage to stand up to an enemy. It takes more courage to stand up to your friends. And mine say some pretty rotten things about men loving men and easterners,” Zachary said, looking away. Anath noted the sweat on Zachary’s face and realized how close they were now. 

Anath spoke quietly. “Is that what you want to hear in your life?”

“I suppose not,” Zachary said, with a small smile. 

Joan interjected. “The Doctor is waiting for us just inside the castle.”Both young men jumped, she seemed to have popped out of thin air. “Can you make it there? Or should we get a pallet or maybe a wheelbarrow?”

“I’ll carry him, if that’s okay?” Zachary offered. 

Anath smiled. “As long as you don’t mind touching me.”

Zach sighed. “I said I was sorry. Now let me show you.”

“Okay, Zach.”

Zachary lifted the smaller young man with more ease than Rupert expected. As they walked off, following Joan, Amir sidled up to Rupert. 

“Did you see a root?” Amir asked. 

“We both looked. I didn’t see anything,” Rupert said. 

“You don’t think he faked it?” Amir asked. 

Rupert rubbed his chin. “I think the Heartland still has a bit of magic left. We’ll have to remember to thank it.”

After walking for a moment, Rupert spoke again. “Do you think they’ll realize how much they care for each other?”

Amir shrugged and sighed. “I think it’ll take a little while yet. They’re both pretty oblivious, unless they really are set on being just friends.”

“Wanna bet?” Rupert asked. “I’ll give you my dessert for a night if you’re right.”

“Rupert, this is the personal lives of two of our soon-to-be knights!” Amir said chidingly. “And I’ll bet five desserts it takes longer than a fortnight.”

Rupert smiled. “Okay, I’ll make sure to give you a little bite when they turn up sucking face in the armory tomorrow.”

“You’re so bad!” Amir rebuked, stopping to look at his love. 

Rupert kissed his cheek. “You love it.”


End file.
